Sunday, April 27, 2014

CD Review: European Musicians Look To Excite With New Albums

From France comes the guitar virtuoso Marcelo Paganini with his latest album "2012 Space Traffic Jam." It was released back in January and shows Paganini's growth as a songwriter as the music on this album take you on a journey. Whether its the funky space-like feel of the opener "Sphinxes Of Babel" or the quick, fast-paced rock of "Actor," Paganini handles the guitars and keyboards allowing him to control the mood of the songs. Fellow Yes members Tony Kaye and Billy Sherwood help out on the eight-minute time traveling piece "Somewhere Somehow." The song also features the amazing talent of Gary Husband on drums. Paganini shows his guitar prowess on the jamming instrumental of "Last Bart To San Bruno," then slows down for the moody, dark prog-rock feel of "B4ever Now." The album finishes up with the eight-minute space rock of "Can't Autograph Your MP3" and the classic Genesis-sounding "2012 Space Traffic Jam."

Italian cellist Francesco Guerri recently released his debut solo album "Prima Di Qualsiasi Altra Cosa Allora Si Perdera." The album is thirty-four minutes of Guerri on display, showcasing his talents with the cello. The first two songs fly by in a blur, before reaching "Improvision n.1" which contains a more experimental piece of music as Guerri uses the absence of sound as a second instrument. The longer pieces allows the listener to get lost in Guerri's musical world, as in the dark tones of "In Palpable Form" and gentle feel of "Macbeth."